Lifelong learning, partnership and modernization in the NHS

The research involves examination of trade union involvement in training and education in the NHS which is explicitly linked to skills development, career structures and underpinned by a lifelong learning framework. The data derive from case studies of seven NHS organizations in England. Previous research indicates how UNISON-employer learning partnerships provide high-quality education programmes for non-traditional learners and represent a process of institution building. This paper indicates the challenges for workplace activists to be involved in skills development in the context of workforce modernization and in the absence of formal learning partnerships.